What is courage? We often see movies and literature portray courageous people as embodying fearlessness; they jump into burning buildings, run toward fights they can’t possibly win, and generally save the day with their heroics. And while it’s pretty cool to watch your favorite action hero be chased by an explosion down a crumbling hallway, these actions don’t really reflect authentic courage.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the innate ability to act despite fear. It is both a deep awareness of inner fear and a stalwart commitment to understand and move beyond that fear. Courage is being able to look at our inner demons and see the core wounds behind those fears. Courage is the ability to set ourselves free despite every barrier our fears build to block our way. We all have this courage within us, because God is courage, and we are always unified with God.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the innate ability to act despite fear.
President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Bodhi cannot help Chicago build Dr. King’s ideal of the Beloved Community if we cannot help ourselves uncover, understand and confront our own fears around building a better community. Read More
